Angela Smith from the College of Law explains the benefits of work experience and considers the options
Gaining work experience is one of the most useful things you can do, both in terms of improving your CV and genuinely discovering whether your notion of life in a legal firm matches the reality.
But what do you do when firms are cutting back on vacation schemes and work experience seems difficult to come by?
Law students (2nd year undergraduate) and non-law students (final year)
NB This timetable refers mainly to law firms which recruit two years in advance. Check with individual firms for different application dates and deadlines.
What to wear, what to bring, what to avoid – everything you need to make the most of the annual law fair
There comes a time, usually in the autumn term, when law firms start sending out their graduate recruitment teams to university campuses around the UK. Yes, it’s the start of the law fair season. If you’re interested in a legal career, find out the date of the fair at your university and get prepared with this survival guide.
Is it worth sacrificing your sun lounger for a couple of weeks’ work experience?
So you’ve dry-cleaned your suit, shined your shoes, practised your ‘strong without being painful’ handshake and you’re ready to begin a vacation placement at a carefully selected firm. But wait, have you stopped to consider whether there are any real benefits of struggling on the tube at rush hour each morning to spend nine hours photocopying when you could be relaxing on a beach with a cocktail?
Write the best covering letters, CVs and application forms – and put yourself at the front of the queue
It’s an arduous process applying for training contracts – but with sensible preparation, a dose of common sense and a touch of luck (not to mention decent academic results!) it needn’t seem such an uphill struggle. There are plenty of little things you can do to make life easier for yourself.
‘A degree alone is not enough. Employers are looking for more than just technical skills and knowledge of a degree discipline. They particularly value skills such as communication, team working and problem solving. Job applicants who can demonstrate that they have developed these skills will have a real advantage.’ So says Digby Jones (former Director-General of the CBI and senior partner of law firm Edge Ellison (which merged with Hammonds)).
It’s all here, in a nutshell. Everything your textbooks don’t explain – the oblique terms and complex commercial lingo needed to navigate your way through a legal career
